A27058:115
The true history of councils enlarged and defended against the deceits of a pretended…
The true history of councils enlarged and defended against the deceits of a pretended vindicator of the primitive church, but indeed of the tympanite & tyranny of some prelates many hundred years after Christ, with a detection of the false history of Edward Lord Bishop of Cork and Ross in Ireland ... and a preface abbreviating much of Ludolphus's History of Habassta : written to show their dangerous error, who think that a general council, or college of bishops, is a supreme governor of all the Christian world ... / by Richard Baxter ... ; to which is added by another hand, a defence of a book, entitled, No evidence for diocesan churches ...The true history of councils enlarged and defended against the deceits of a pretended vindicator of the primitive church, but indeed of the tympanite & tyranny of some prelates many hundred years after Christ, with a detection of the false history of Edward Lord Bishop of Corke and Rosse in Ireland ... and a preface abbreviating much of Ludolphus's History of Habassta : written to shew their dangerous errour, who think that a general council, or colledge of bishops, is a supream governour of all the Christian world ... / by Richard Baxter ... ; to which is added by another hand, a defence of a book, entituled, No evidence for diocesan churches ...
London: printed for Tho. Parkhurst, 1682
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
4. I find not that ever any one Apostle exercised Government over the rest: Nor that ever Christ gave the rest any Command or Direction to obey any one; Nor that ever the Contending or Schismatical sort of Christians were directed to end their strife, by taking any one for the Head who must determine all their Controversies: And that they that said [I am of Cephas] are reproved with the rest. And that all are called Members of the Body, and only Christ the Head. And if it had been his will that One Universal Head or Power should have been set up as the Principium, or Centre of Unity, it is a matter of so ⟨p. 6⟩great consequence, that it is not to be believed that Christ would not have plainly commanded it.
4. I find not that ever any one Apostle exercised Government over the rest: Nor that ever Christ gave the rest any Command or Direction to obey any one; Nor that ever the Contending or Schismatical sort of Christians were directed to end their strise, by taking any one for the Head who must determine all their Controversies: And that they that said [I am of Cephas] are reproved with the rest. And that all are called Members of the Body, and only Christ the Head. And if it had been his will that One Universal Head or Power should have been set up as the Principium, or Center of Unity, it is a matter of so ⟨p. 6⟩great consequence, that it is not to be believed that Christ would not have plainly commanded it.
5. I find that Christ hath himself done the work, for which the necessity of Universal Humane Government (by Pope or Councils) is pretended; viz. He hath made and caused his Apostles (peculiarly qualified for it) to record Universal Church-Laws, even as many as are Universally necessary: And if so, I cannot but think, 1. That he hath done it better than Man can do; 2. And that to add more unnecessarily must needs be a snare and burden to the Church; 3. And that it must be an usurping the Power of Christ: For if there be no other Universal Governor, there is no other that hath Authority to make Universal Laws. Therefore this is Treason against Christ, and a making Man a Vice-Christ.